Calgary police looking for alleged church vandal
Posted Sep 9, 2022 11:14 am.
Last Updated Sep 9, 2022 11:15 am.
Police are asking for help from the public to find a man who allegedly defaced a statue at a Calgary church on Sept. 1.
Officers say it happened around 5:30 p.m. when a man damaged a religious statue in front of Sacred Heart Church in the southwest community of the Beltline before running away.
The man is described as around 5’11” tall with a slim build. Police say he may have tattoos on his left arm. He was last seen wearing an orange T-shirt, a baseball cap, sunglasses, dark construction pants, and construction boots.
Calgary police are looking for a man alleged to have defaced a church statue. He is described as around 5’11” tall with a slim build. Police say he may have tattoos on his left arm. He was last seen wearing an orange T-shirt, a baseball cap, sunglasses, dark construction pants, and construction boots. (Calgary Police Service)
Calgary police are looking for a man alleged to have defaced a church statue. He is described as around 5’11” tall with a slim build. Police say he may have tattoos on his left arm. He was last seen wearing an orange T-shirt, a baseball cap, sunglasses, dark construction pants, and construction boots. (Calgary Police Service)
Calgary police are looking for a man alleged to have defaced a church statue. He is described as around 5’11” tall with a slim build. Police say he may have tattoos on his left arm. He was last seen wearing an orange T-shirt, a baseball cap, sunglasses, dark construction pants, and construction boots. (Calgary Police Service)
It’s unclear why the man may have damaged the statue, and the Hate Crime and Extremism Team is looking into it.
“A hate crime is a criminal offence committed against a person or property, which is motivated in whole or part by the suspect’s hate, bias or prejudice towards an identifiable group,” Calgary police said in a release.
“Any evidence of a hate motivation is considered by the courts after a person is found guilty of the connected crime. If the judge decides during sentencing that hate was a motivation for the offence, it is an aggravating factor that can add to the convicted person’s sentence.”
Anyone with information about the man or what happened is asked to call police 403-266-1234. You can also leave an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
